Drake tour postpones first T.O. show
Drake’s first Canadian stop on his Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour, slated for Monday night in Toronto, had to wait as Live Nation Ontario tweeted the same day that the concert “is being postponed.”
The Toronto rapper is still scheduled to perform at the same venue, the Scotiabank Arena — with Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos — tonight and Wednesday; those shows will go on as planned, Live Nation said. The tour also includes later stops in Montreal and Vancouver.
The promoter says did not provide a reason for the late cancellation, other than to say it was “due to circumstances” beyond their control.
Tickets will be honoured for the new date at the arena when it’s announced.
Drake has already pushed back or cancelled a number of North American dates for this tour. Originally, they were supposed to kick off the shows in Utah last month, but technical problems led to two rounds of delays.
The concert features a number of elaborate special effects that include a giant cellphone, a flying Ferrari and a stage floor that morphs into a basketball court, evoking the video-game appearance of the film Tron. This is the second time some fans in Toronto will have their tickets rescheduled. The Canadian Press, with files from Star staff
Tribute concert set for Aretha Franklin
Choir! Choir! Choir! is paying tribute to the “Queen of Soul” with a special night of celebration. Organizers for the drop-in Toronto vocal collective say they’ll gather on Thursday at Toronto’s Great Hall concert venue at 8 p.m. for a “pay what you can” all-ages event where they will recognize the passing of Aretha Franklin.
The group — which spends a night rehearsing a song before recording the performance for an online video — plans to sing Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
“We were never lucky enough to meet or sing with Aretha Franklin, though she was always at the top of my list,” said co-founder Nobu Adilman.
“Her voice and music were a big part of (my) early listening years.”
Choir! Choir! Choir! was founded in 2011 as a bunch of singers who wanted to unite over their common interest in popular music. The Canadian Press
Eagles’ album now No.1 all-time
The Eagles’ greatest-hits album has moonwalked past Michael Jackson’s Thriller to become history’s bestselling album of all-time.
The Recording Industry Association of America told The Associated Press on Monday that the Eagles’ album — Their Greatest Hits1971-1975 — is now certified 38 times platinum, which means sales and streams of the album have reached 38 million copies.
The album was released in 1976 and pushes Jackson’s Thriller, which is 33 times platinum, to second place. The last time RIAA tallied sales for the Eagles’ greatest hits album was in 2006.
“We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years. It’s been quite a ride,” Don Henley said. RIAA’s platinum status was once equivalent to selling one million albums or songs, but in 2013 the company began incorporating streaming from YouTube, Spotify and other digital music services to determine certification for albums and songs. Now 1,500 streams of an album or 10 song downloads equal one album sale. The Associated Press
David Cross photo draws fire
The University of Utah says a tweet from comedian David Cross showing him wearing undergarments sacred to the Mormon faith was “deeply offensive.” College president Ruth Watkins issued a statement Sunday about the tweet, says she resisted calls to cancel Wednesday’s performance and that the tweet is protected by the First Amendment. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wear white, two-piece cotton undergarments daily considered similar to holy vestments in other faiths, like a Catholic nun’s habit or a Muslim skullcap.
The university is a public college and has many Mormon students. The performance isn’t sponsored by the university, but Watkins says she won’t censor those who are renting its facilities. Cross representative Michael O’Brien did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The Associated Press
Briefly
Ariana Grande might become a Grande-Davidson if she marries Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson, but the pop singer says she eventually wants her name to be simply “Ariana” like other one-named artists such as Cher, Madonna and Bono. “Isn’t that sick? I feel like it’s got a ring to it,” Grande told Apple Music’s Beats 1.
Selena Gomez and her three friends now have matching tattoos after the star revealed fresh ink on Instagram Saturday in honour of pal Courtney Barry’s 26th birthday. Photos showed the women, including pals Ashley Cook and Raquelle Stevens, got matching number-four tattoos because, said the pop star, “you are my 4 for the rest of my life. I love you ladies. You all inspire me to be better, stronger, closer to god.”